1. UTAS Awards Workshop 2017
Presented by Steve Drew, Sherridan Emery, Tracy Douglas
Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching (TILT)
AWARDS & GRANTS TEAM
Tamzen Jeanneret, Sherridan Emery & Steve Drew

2. Today’s session will: Our aim is to help you:
provide information about the awards
help you begin writing your award application
Our aim is to help you:
identify a relevant award category
think about a focus for your award application
consider forms of evidence you may need
prepare a ‘strongly supported’ application!

3. The UTAS Awards Pathway
Signpost to all the different people there.
We make the point:
The develop a focus, address the selection criteria, provide evidence for your application.
Just to differing degrees.
Writing an award application is a developmental process intended to encourage reflection, develop practice, enhance skills and broaden your understanding and scholarship of learning and teaching.

4. Teaching Merit Certificates
Faculty based – whole-of-institution moderation
Maximum of 3 awarded per person (including team awards).
Aimed at sessional and new teaching staff
Complete the TMC application form
If applying for 2nd/3rd TMC, include professional learning plan. Up to one page, documenting activities and evidence to be carried out/collected before next TMC (or VC’s Citation).
Nominate a focus area (i.e. assessment, student support, scholarship)
Support statement from unit coordinator or peer – validating claims and evidence provided in your application
31 January 2017, TMC applications due (electronically) to TILT.
It is really important to note that if you are applying for your 2nd or 3rd TMC, it should build on previous year’s applications. The committee is looking for progression of practice, evidence, philosophy and that you have reflected upon these. Applications are not successful if they do not show this progression.
In terms of nominating a focus area, we highlight that here because in past people have asked about this. Basically applicants need to evidence what they are claiming is commendable about their practice.
Q: What kinds of things make good evidence of teaching practice?
Activity: Write a short paragraph: What do you do in your teaching that you know is good? How do you know? What would you like to improve about your practice?

5. Citation for outstanding contributions towards student learning
Up to 8 awarded; $1,000 each
Available to academic and professional staff
Vice Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning
Maximum of 2 VC’s Program Awards; $5,000 each
Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence
Up to 2 awarded; $10,000 team/$5,000 individuals.
Available to academic staff only
Vice Chancellor’s Medal for Sustained Commitment to Teaching Excellence
Up to 1 awarded; $10,000 individuals only
Eligible 5 years post award of a VC’s Award for Teaching Excellence
The kinds of things that are going to be asked for are slightly different – amount of information and level of reflection required. So here’s the opportunity to start putting our reflective hats on.

6. Where can you go for extra help?
UTAS Awards Website support (all guidelines, eligibility criteria and forms are online PLUS resources such as:
Teaching Awards Summer Starter Presentation
What makes a good TMC?
Peer Learning Circles – would you like to form one?
For UTAS citation awards and onwards
Peer Professional Learning Program for Awards
(Feb – June each year – see our website for details; register early!)
Peer Review Panel – applicants can have their draft application blind reviewed with feedback provided ( draft applications to TILT – see key dates on A&G site).
SHERRIDAN

7. Important Dates Please see Key Dates on UTAS Awards website.
Teaching Merit Certificates due 31 January 2017
Citations and VC’s Awards due June 2017 (date TBC).
and-events

8. Writing your Award Application

9. The focus of excellence informs the entire application
Framework for a quality award application
Focus
The focus of excellence informs the entire application
The focus is developed and sustained by addressing the selection criteria
The focus is supported by evidence related to claims addressing the selection criteria
ALTC Awards
Illustration
Integration
A well integrated method for developing a context might be to:
State your claim for good/excellent/commendable practice
Give examples
Provide evidence
Reinforce through breadth and depth of evidence
Link your practice to scholarly literature and your teaching philosophy
Framing

10. FOCUS
Developing a focus for your application helps you to tell ‘your story’.
What it is about your teaching approach, strategy or other practice that has the greatest impact on students and their learning?
Two minute reflection:
What is it you do really well? (write down some notes)

11. Substantiating your claims for commendable practice.
What evidence do I have which demonstrates the quality of my teaching and can substantiate the claims I am making?
Two minute reflection:
How do you know that what you do works?
Then ask yourself:
Is the evidence appropriate for the award category?
Is the evidence appropriate for the chosen selection criteria?
Does the evidence substantiate the claims made?
How should the evidence be presented (i.e. eVALUate data)?
Successful applications use a combination of evidence - showing breadth and depth.
ILLUSTRATION

12. Peers Self Student Feedback Student Learning The ‘evidence grid’
Smith (2008): 4Q Model for Evaluating Learning and Teaching
Peers
Self
Student Feedback
Student Learning
ALTC Awards
This really connects with the four lenses from Brookfield.
The thing missing is the literature lens.
There are two things students are feeding you back through evaluate.
The student learning refer to their hard learning outcomes. How do you know they have met their learning outcomes?
Engagement
Literature

13. Peers The ‘evidence grid’: Peers Classroom performance (peer review)
Course materials and content
Assessment practices
Scholarship of teaching and publications
Leading learning and teaching initiatives
Learning and teaching strategies
Leadership roles
Levels of peers – senior, supervisor, reviewers, colleagues etc.
Industry and professional associations

14. Self The ‘evidence grid’: Self Teaching journal Teaching philosophy
Self reflections, analysis and evaluation
Reflective course memo
Responsiveness to student feedback
Publications
Leadership roles

15. Student Reactions The ‘evidence grid’: Student Reactions
Student evaluation processes
Student interviews
Informal class student feedback
Course experience questionnaires
Unsolicited (and solicited) student feedback
Student logs and journals
Online feedback

16. Student Learning The ‘evidence grid’: Student Learning
Students’ self reported knowledge/skills
Rates of attrition/failure progression to honours/postgraduate
Course identification and evaluation of generic attributes
Student work (assessments, theses, projects)
Employer/workplace feedback
Graduate feedback

17. FRAMING
For example:
You are inspired to be an inclusive practitioner because you believe that all student abilities should be catered for (teaching philosophy) and have implemented inclusive practice principles (teaching practice) to address ‘first in family’ student cohort characteristics of your unit (teaching challenge). You have examples (evidence) of your own professional learning in this area/student feedback/feedback from relevant staff in the student centre and a publication in the area of ‘alternative assessment’.

18. Teaching Merit Certificates
A think/write activity:
Identify a focus for your application
(i.e. what is commendable about your practice and why is it commendable?)
What is the context of your teaching?
i.e. tell your ‘teaching’ story and keep it relevant to the focus area of your application.
What is your teaching philosophy and how does it relate to your focus area? (why and how you do what you do)?
What evidence do you have which tells you your practice is commendable?
How do you know that your practice is commendable? What different types of evidence do you have to substantiate your claims? These must also relate to the focus of your application.

19. Select the one(s) that best matches your chosen focus.
FRAMING
Framing your focus : Addressing selection criteria or providing a context
Selection criteria need to be interrogated – what are they asking of you?
Select the one(s) that best matches your chosen focus.
Write to the criterion you choose, but don’t write for it – retain your own voice.
Use key examples and ensure they directly relate to the selected criterion.
Keep focused – about excellence or commendable practice – not core business.
Selection Criteria
Approaches to teaching and the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn.
Development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field.
Evaluation practices that bring about improvements in teaching and learning.
Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or the student experience.
Other focus areas (or themes) from award-winning applications in past have included: Pedagogical approach; Professional content knowledge; Dedication to quality teaching; Student engagement; Assessment; Student support; Scholarship of teaching and learning…

20. Additional selection criteria considered by the selection committee
Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
the applicant(s) has influenced student learning, student engagement and/or the overall student experience;
the applicant(s) has gained recognition from fellow staff, the institution, and/or the broader community; and
the described practice is outstanding and has been sustained over time.
VC’s Program Awards
the application gives clear evidence of the effectiveness of the program in formal and informal evaluation
the degree of creativity, imagination or innovation of the application
the application demonstrates evidence of the sustained effectiveness of the program over time.
VC’s Teaching Excellence and Sustained Commitment Awards
the claims for excellence are supported by formal and informal evaluation;
the extent of creativity, imagination or innovation, irrespective of whether the approach involves traditional learning environments or technology-based developments; and
the application demonstrates evidence of sustained effectiveness over time
The extent to which the application demonstrates these elements…

21. Australian Awards for University Teaching
Approaches to teaching and the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn.
Development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field. 
Evaluation practices that bring about improvements in teaching and learning. 
Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or the student experience. 

22. VC’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning
Distinctiveness, coherence and clarity of purpose
Influence on student learning and student engagement
Breadth of impact
Concern for equity and diversity 

23. SHERRIDAN
On each table there should be a rubric used to assess TMCs. Over the next couple of minutes look over the rubric, pass it around, and chat with the people around you about how what you’re already starting to work together as ideas for your application sits in relations to the rubric. What area/s (focus, context, evidence) seem to need the most attention or might need some reframing in light of the way the applications are assessed?
Remember that the rubric is available on the Awards website. Keep it handy while drafting your application.

24. A quick word about SoTL
SoTL is the ‘methodology’ through which you justify your good practice.
Grounds your practice in theory
Establishes and validates your teaching philosophy
Establishes and validates your teaching pedagogy
Some key readings for you to consider:
Boyer, E. (1990) Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, Special Report, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, New York: Jossey-Bass
Brookfield, S. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, New York: Jossey-Bass
Skelton, A. (Ed.) (2007) International Perspectives on Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: Improving Knowledge and Practice, Oxon: Routledge
Useful SoTL Websites
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
The Higher Education Academy. See resources section
Carnegie academy for the scholarship of teaching and learning
Need for a genuine engagement with the broader Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) discipline/literature.
Your teaching philosophy is important and will guide your engagement with learning and teaching – but it is evident when a philosophy is lifted from the literature for the purposes of an award application.

25. The realities of writing an award application – think about: time, process of reflexivity, planning, writing style.

26. Writing an award application: Focus
Some questions to help you determine your focus
What are you most proud of in your teaching?
How do you teach? Why do you do it that way? What skills do you teach?
How do you motivate students? How do you inspire them to learn? How do you know that they are learning?
How do you assess your students? What do you assess?
In what ways do you encourage them to become independent learners?
In what ways do you respect students as individuals?
How do you encourage students individually to develop to their full potential?
Have you ever written/presented/shared about learning/teaching?
Have you made any contributions to learning/teaching in your field/discipline/school/faculty/the University?
What are some/one key challenge(s) you have faced as a tertiary teacher and how have you attempted to overcome it/them?
What legacy has/will your style of teaching leave for your students?
Do you have any educational 'heroes', if so, who are they and why? How do you use their approach or philosophy to inform your own teaching?